MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – At the first PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event in Minneapolis in 13 years, Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) got off to a quick start, tenth after the opening round of competition.

Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) earned his league-best fourth 15/15 Bucking Battle victory of the season, winning the special round held in tandem with the Minneapolis Invitational inside Target Center.

Marking the eighth 90-point ride of his 2019 season, Lockwood emerged victorious after covering Bad Beagle (Phenom Genetics/Spurs West LLC/Sankey Pro Rodeo) for a massive 91.5 points. The out was the second time the 2017 PBR World Champion had attempted the Minnesotan bovine athlete in his career. The duo first met in Nashville in 2017, when Bad Beagle bested Lockwood in a quick 5.3 seconds.

For the win at the final 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season, Lockwood collected $7,000 and 150 world points. While he remains No. 2 in the world, the 22-year-old closed the gap on No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), now 941.66 points behind the top spot after beginning the event 1,031.66 points back.

Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) finished second in the special round to earn $5,000 and 90 world points.

Not only did the ride bring the raucous crowd inside the Target Center to its feet on the crisp fall evening, but it also allowed Kolbaba to gain crucial ground in the world title race. Ranked No. 9 prior to the event, the Washingtonian is now No. 7.

On the hunt for his first PBR World Championship, Joao Ricardo Vieira was third after making the 8 atop Soup in a Group (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Wilks Ranch) for 89.25 points.

The qualified ride earned the No. 4-ranked rider $4,000 and 75 world points.

Eager to expand his lead atop the world standings, Leme recorded the fourth-best score of the 15/15 Bucking Battle after riding Space Force (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) for 88.5 points.

He netted $3,000 and 60 world points.

Rounding out the Top 5 was Cooper Davis. Having won the 2016 San Jose, California, 15/15 Bucking Battle aboard his draw Big Black Cat (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls), Davis again made the 8, this time marked 88 points. For his efforts, Davis netted $2,000 and 45 world points, maintaining his world No. 5 ranking.

Rookie of the Year contender Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) also continued to shine inside the Target Center.

Recording the top score of Round 1 of the Minneapolis Invitational, the Texan’s 87-point ride aboard Really Western (C Check Bucking Bulls) earned him his sixth round win of the 2019 season.

Kasel additionally collected a check for $3,580 and 100 world points. He climbed from No. 15 to No. 13 in the world, now 100.42 points outside of the Top 10.

The 20-year-old also gained ground in the Rookie of the Year race. No. 4 in the feverish battle prior to the event, he is now No. 3, a mere 28.75 points behind standings leader Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas).

Hovering dangerously close to the Top 35 cutline, Barbosa rose from No. 33 to No. 31 in the world standings, while Quaresima climbed one spot from No. 44 to No. 43. Quaresima is now 191.66 points outside of the Top 35 as he attempts to qualify for the first PBR World Finals of his career.

Fans can relive all the action from Round 1 of the Minneapolis Invitational Saturday, October 5 at 8:00 a.m. EDT at RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile app. Fans can also tune in to CBS Sports at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, October 6 for coverage of the tenth and final 15/15 Bucking Battle of the season.

Action inside Target Center will continue with Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday starting at 6:45 p.m. CDT.

CBS Sports Network will broadcast all the action from Championship Saturday, including Round 2 and the championship round, on Sunday, October 6 at 6:00 p.m. EDT. Fans will also be able to tune in LIVE via RidePass. The listen LIVE stream will begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT.